Wednesday, August 26, 2009

For anyone who loves photography, I want to recommend the work of a dear friend, Allen Hicks. He has spent a great deal of time in Denmark, and now lives in Ashland, OR. A graphic designer by training, he augments his photos with interesting touches using photoshop; often adding one extra subtle element to a composition. Spend some time with his images; I hope they stun and amuse you as they do me. You can find him at: www.allenrosshicks.com

Monday, August 24, 2009

I'm passing along the progress reports from a small group of women who having been meeting to work with the material from Frequency on a weekly basis. The first posting is on July 5. This one is from August 1, but I haven't had a chance to get it up online since I've been traveling so much.

My name is Susan and we want to share our experiences from our weekly Frequency Book Gathering in Tennessee. There are six of us. We have read Frequency at least once and studied it independently.Our Wednesday nights are previews and postviews of what is going on in our world(s). We find that the chapter, verse, even the page number of Frequency are guides, or referrals, or Aha's, about what's going on. Life imitates art and vice versa. We continue to use the Elevator Meditation on page 43 to begin our discussions after we share what is going on in our lives.

Ieshia is having incredible dreams that reflect having one foot in one dimension and one in another. She is dodging an old script about becoming involved in someone else's drama, intending to help. She's realizing they want sympathy and companionship but not help. She has found herself grinning about "nothing" in her zone.

Patsy is all about fun. And she is manifesting lots of it, as well as a new career more to her desires. The position she has created has been posted and she has applied for it. She decided to go on vacation in the fall. . .then wonders why the new job hasn't opened. Hello! She has said to herself, I am creating this and I said after vacation. So, she is having some waiting. She was involved in working in her garden over the weekend and was so ecstatic, "in her home frequency," she couldn't keep the grin off her face.

Susan continues to realize that when she judges another, it is a projection of Susan that doesn't please her. Her visualizations have become very zany—a ride in the rumbleseat of Mr. Toad's roadster; plus singing and dancing "The Rain in Spain Falls Mainly on the Plain." Is this a reflection of her calling down the Jet Stream for a cool and less humid July on the Tennessee-Kentucky border? Think so.

There is a lot of buzz right now with groups getting together to pray into being a world that is enlightened, peaceful, better. We were part of a group of 16 in Nashville last week. While it was empowering and a positive experience, the best part was how deep and profound our small gatherings are for us. That we need go nowhere else or have anyone else lead us to focus. We are focused! It feels very good to be at Home Frequency—and one thing we have noticed—impossible to be less than honest with ourselves and others!

My friend, Gail Larsen, who conducts the highly empowering Real Speaking seminars, recently sent this letter, which I wanted to share because it reflects my own sentiments exactly. This is such a time of choice for how we want our own reality to feel, for giving up waiting, postponing, hesitation, and false humility. It's such a powerful time for BEING OUR REAL SELF and being pleasantly surprised by who we really are.

"Years ago in my intensive studies with cultural anthropologist Angeles Arrien, she spoke of 'responsibility for our impact.' That teaching has stayed with me as I’ve observed how easy is it for others to perceive us in ways that can be contrary to how we see ourselves. Being responsible for our impact requires that we remain vigilant to the expectations we create. For example, when we are given the speaking platform, the invitation confers a level of authority that gives our words great power. And on a personal level, when engaged in a glorious “what if . . . ?' co-creative surge that comes and goes like a hot flash, others may be making plans while we are moving on.

It is time to recognize the power we hold. It is time to clear those sabotaging voices that tell us we're not enough. We would be wise to heed the advice quoted by a recent client: 'Don’t compare your insides with everybody else’s outsides.'

The Hopi prophecy 'We are the ones we have been waiting for' is a clarion call to trusting we are enough. How much evidence does it take to recognize our capacity and influence? We may think our self-esteem is intact, and then an ignominious comment from one person creates days of agonizing while we brush off wondrous praise from most of a group.

Last week I was told by the executive director of an institute where I offer my programs that I had become 'a category.' What does that mean? I asked.'When we plan the program schedule for the year, staff members say, We want more Gail Larsens.’

I share this because it is a great reminder that while we question our brilliance, others use us as role models. I recently read Patricia Fero’s book What Happens When Women Wake Up? She reminds us of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale so embedded in our consciousness: It is easy to wait for something outside ourselves to happen to wake us up. I believe this is true for men as well as for women, although they may be have a different myth embedded in their operating system (such as Hercules).

To remind yourself, here’s a Prayer for Stability by Lori Wilson:I stand today and for all times as a wise and loving adult in the world.I trust in myself and I trust in the goodness in all hearts.I hold love and stability in this world and will fashion my life accordingly.I honor and respect those who may be fearful and recognize that many are still young.I will live with my eyes, ears, and heart open.I will build the life I came to build."